Go to one of those craft websites that shows artistic projects to do with books, and create something fun without having a guilty conscience about defacing a book.

.

The only project I saw in this genre that I liked was making a Christmas tree out of an old Reader's Digest. The others just make me feel a little sick.

I liked the trees made from the old Sears or Wards catalog back when they were printed - or a phone book thick enough to make a really good tree - say Dallas, New York City, Houston.......Reader's Digest is just too small a magazine and too "thin" to have enough pages for a really lush "tree".

(To be fair, it is a "CreateSpace" edition on Amazon, whatever that is. But I understand that Anne, and her image, are still legally controlled by Montgomery's heirs, which makes me wonder if this is really an "authorized" edition.)

This is something that annoys me in romance novels. The hero has had an evil mother/step-mother/wife/etc and has decided that that makes all woman manipulative cheating liers. Then he meets the heroine and realizes that there's one woman who isn't like that but still every other woman remains evil. I prefer my romances to be about people I can like at least a little. There's also a sub-genre in which the author seems to hate women. Everyone but the heroine is shallow or vain or mean and the heroine is the shining exception (I think that one book described the heroine to be unlike every other young lady of her generation or something like that).

I hate those books with a purple passion. If the hero is old enough to run a business/country/be a SEAL, then I can't buy that he's never met a decent human female.

Also, I loathe books where the other love interest is a horrid person. If X has decided to date this jerk, what does that say about X?

Logged

If wisdom’s ways you wisely seek,Five things observe with care,To whom you speak,Of whom you speak,And how, and when, and where.Caroline Lake Ingalls

Go to one of those craft websites that shows artistic projects to do with books, and create something fun without having a guilty conscience about defacing a book.

.

The only project I saw in this genre that I liked was making a Christmas tree out of an old Reader's Digest. The others just make me feel a little sick.

I liked the trees made from the old Sears or Wards catalog back when they were printed - or a phone book thick enough to make a really good tree - say Dallas, New York City, Houston.......Reader's Digest is just too small a magazine and too "thin" to have enough pages for a really lush "tree".

But that's my personal opinion.

We did it with TV Guides, but we would use four and glue the spines together to get the tree really lush!

Go to one of those craft websites that shows artistic projects to do with books, and create something fun without having a guilty conscience about defacing a book.

.

The only project I saw in this genre that I liked was making a Christmas tree out of an old Reader's Digest. The others just make me feel a little sick.

I liked the trees made from the old Sears or Wards catalog back when they were printed - or a phone book thick enough to make a really good tree - say Dallas, New York City, Houston.......Reader's Digest is just too small a magazine and too "thin" to have enough pages for a really lush "tree".

But that's my personal opinion.

They are NOW...but back in 1962, when my family did this craft project, they were a much thicker magazine. We made angels, and Mr. and Mrs. Santa. For the heads, use styrofoam balls with a pipecleaner stuck down into the magazine, and for arms, fold up newspapers and spray paint.

50 Shades of Grey made me refuse my poor DH for the week it took me to finish that travesty of a book.

The basic plot: Idjut Girl: "Hi, I'm a virgin female college grad."Grey guy: "Hi, I'm hot and rich. You should have sex with me and let me beat the tar out of you, because I find it kinky."Idjut Girl: "okay, but only because you're handsome and bought me a car and a blackberry."

What the eHell?!?!?!

Yes it's porny but dear Lord, can't we get something a bit less "domestic abuse" these days? I'm still irritated and it's been years.

I'd hesitate to call them pet peeves, more like "things I loathe with a passion."

Books that misrepresent their genre or abruptly change gears halfway through. I just feel cheated, especially because I have yet to see it done well.

snip

I was just coming here to post this same thing! It happens to me mostly with romance novels. I like historicals, and I'll be reading along and all of a sudden they're talking about werewolves and unicorns. Or they start talking about how much they love God and must live their lives by the Bible and give their problems over to Him. Or they're suddenly fighting crime and solving mysteries (above and beyond a typical "evil villain" romance plot). It's gotten worse since ebooks became popular; some don't have back copy and some sites don't have the categories properly broken down or books properly sorted into the right ones.

50 Shades of Grey made me refuse my poor DH for the week it took me to finish that travesty of a book.

The basic plot: GIdjut Girl: "Hi, I'm a virgin female college grad."Grey guy: "Hi, I'm hot and rich. You should have sex with me and let me beat the tar out of you, because I find it kinky."Idjut Girl: "okay, but only because you're handsome and bought me a car and a blackberry."

What the eHell?!?!?!

Yes it's porny but dear Lord, can't we get something a bit less "domestic abuse" these days? I'm still irritated and it's been years.

At the height of it's popularity, I went to Walmart and saw the books on the shelf with the Christian and Amish romance novels. I wonder if the stock person did it on purpose because they thought it would be funny. Well, it made me laughed anyway.

On Topic:The trends in publishing to have covers look like Twilight, 50 Shades, etc. The blurb on the back makes sound similar too. It may be nothing like those books, but the publishers are willing to take your money and not apologize later.